3 Day 2 Night Viola Cruise in Halong Bay

I don't think I mentioned in my motorbiking post and walking tour post that our home base while in Hanoi was the Viola Royal Hotel & Spa. It wasn't terribly fancy, but at $40 a night it was great and had comfortable beds perfect for resting after long days of walking. The reason we selected this hotel while in Hanoi was because we had already picked the Viola Cruise for our time in Halong Bay. And no it's not a coincidence, they are most certainly related. Having the same company for both made everything seemingly convenient, though I'm not convinced that it was that important.



Anyway, back to the topic at hand - the cruise. We decided to spend 3 days and 2 nights on the cruise rather than 2 days and 1 night due to the lengthy four hour journey to and from Hanoi. Don't get me wrong, most people go for the 1-nighter, but we just felt like the turnaround time was too quick. Plus we would get an extra day to explore further into the Bay.

Now, I should mention there are A TON of cruise companies options to choose from and they range from cheap to super fancy. We went with the middle of the road option at around $180 per night (a tad more if you're just doing the one night) and this included all of our meals.

The Basics

To kick the journey off we were picked up from the Viola Royal Hotel in Hanoi and joined the group of about eight others on the bus. The ride was pretty uneventful but included a 30 minute stop at a tourist trap for a bathroom break and purchases. Back on the road we went for the remaining journey until we reached the docks. Our things were unloaded and we made our way to a small boat that would take us to the big boat.



Our room had two twin beds, a full bathroom and a balcony that we never used. It suited us for what we needed during our three days. The ship itself was three floors - the first for getting on and off the small boat, the second for our room and the main dining area, and the third for the rooftop deck. There were drinks and snacks for purchase on board. In total our boat only had 9 people the first night and 12 or so the second, but it was the low season and probably could fit about 24 at full capacity. It's best to have a boat about this size and not a huge one.







As for the agenda, we had several activities included throughout the trip. It's key to book a cruise that includes some of these extras, like kayaking, because I've read some have you pay extra. Knowing what is included and what isn't is very important so you aren't caught having to pay more. These are the highlights of our activities:

Day 1 and 3 

(Day 2 is separate because this would only be for those doing the 2 nighter)

Bubble Boat (could also select kayaking if you prefer): You board a boat with a local from the fishing village who oars you around for about an hour until you get to the pearl farm. There you learn how pearls are "made" and then, of course, you have time to make purchases.







Thien Cung Cave: I'm unsure why they have everyone go here at the exact same time because it led to some serious congestion. The cave itself is okay and is reached by 97 steps up. Not really that spectacular if I'm being honest.



Squid Fishing: Both nights we had the option of squid fishing. We only did it the second night and caught nothing. Though I did somehow scoop a fish up in the hook and then he jumped off and swam away.

Day 2

We boarded a separate day boat for this part of the tour. Here we had a new guide and new friends from Viola's sister boat, the Christina.

Kayaking: A wonderful and peaceful start to the day. My mom and I shared a kayak and paddled around to a small "beach" where two in our group went swimming. It was cold - no thanks.



Sun Sot Cave: We took a small boat over to this cave where we explored with flashlights. It was cool to be the only ones in there and much more peaceful than the Thien Cung Cave on day 3.





As an aside, one of the guys we met on day two told us about a Harry Potter bar in Hanoi that sold Butterbeer. Naturally, we went once we were back in Hanoi. It was really neat and I had the Butterbeer while Tutz had the Goblet of Fire.

Overall 

The activities for our three days were quite enjoyable. In addition to the activities, I should also mention the food. It seems that the food on these boats is more of an art form. The dishes are beautifully made with veggie flowers and decorations. The food itself is decent but there was an unbelievable amount of it. They just kept bringing dishes out and we barely made a dent.

I would recommend the Viola Cruise to anyone looking for a moderately priced option for Halong Bay. The staff was friendly, activities enjoyable and food good. If only we had more sunshine out there! But hey, at least it didn't rain.